Pursued until the point of exhaustion, shot with an explosive harpoon causing massive internal injuries, dragged violently to a ship then shot some more before taking up to an hour to die. That is the reality of whaling today, highlighted in all its cruelty by Australian character actor David Field in a shocking new video released today.
Field, who has starred in film roles including Chopper, Two Hands, The Inbetweeners 2 and most recently the Channel Seven mini-series Catching Milat, graphically recreates how whales are hunted then slaughtered by whalers in a new campaign for not for profit marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd and created by independent Sydney advertising agency The Works.
In the ‘Ultimate Death Scene’, Field takes on the role of a whale which is hunted and shot with an explosive harpoon before being dragged aboard a whaling ship and finally suffering a long and agonising death.
The film aims to increase awareness of whaling and encourage donations to Sea Shepherd so they can continue to campaign and take direct action to help bring it to an end.
The video is available on Sea Shepherd’s website and YouTube channel and is supported by cinema, television and print. A radio spot, which is also voiced by Field, will air shortly across Southern Cross Austereo radio stations. A microsite featuring behind the scenes footage and a donation page has also been created.
Field said: “The cruelty inflicted on whales is shocking and while most people abhor whaling I think many don’t realise just how brutally these sea mammals are butchered. As a supporter of Sea Shepherd I want to bring this barbaric practice to the attention of as many people as possible in the hope that we can get it stopped.”
Paul Swann, creative partner at The Works said: “Those who care about marine wildlife really feel something deeply when they see whaling taking place, we sought to harness this feeling to generate the maximum impact. The idea of a human experiencing what a whale does combined with a graphic execution will come to life across video, social, radio and print.”
Jeff Hansen, managing director from Sea Shepherd Australia said: “The slaughter of these beautiful and majestic whales is horrifying, it needs to stop now. No one will ever know the pain and suffering these playful, gentle giants go through from the time the explosive harpoon ripped through their bodies to the time they drew their last breath in a red sea full of their own blood. One thing is for sure, Sea Shepherd will do whatever it takes to ensure no more whales have to endure pain and suffering at the hands of these whale butchers.”
More than 25,000 whales have been killed under the guise of scientific research and commercial purposes by Iceland, Norway and Japan since the International Whaling Commission (IWC) enacted a moratorium on all commercial whaling.The IWC does not have the capacity to enforce the moratorium. Sea Shepherd, guided by the United Nations World Charter for Nature, is the only organisation whose mission is to enforce these international conservation regulations on the high seas.
